tulkas

macseeker said:

Gee! How fun. A body without a brain. NEAT!

Should market it as the most secure android ever.

also the only android that won’t mine your data.

The more every statement from the company, include John Gruber, uses the same "all-in on face ID" mantra, the more it sounds like they are pushing a scripted narrative. I at least hope the PR machine is trying to convince the outside world instead of inside Apple that they really were all in. Either way, they are actively trying to convince someone that they were "all in". They are all-in on this script. They are all in on the narrative. They are all in on the storyline. 

I think the X is killing the 8. Not necessarily because of demand for the X. The X starts at $1319 in Canada, which will serve to depress demand. But the X is the flagship for this year so those that look to buy flagships won't be looking at the 8. They might avoid the X because of the price, but the fact that it exists might be enough to reduce demand for the 8 by turning it into the SE for this year at flagship pricing of last year (higher actually).

anton zuykov said:

tulkas said:

gatorguy said:

It will not be surprising if they do. It's getting more difficult to have features that differentiate one smartphone from another and minimally for at least a year or so this will be Apple's. 

Samsung already has facial recognition

Now they don't. At least, not at the level of what Apple has achieved. Samsung simply has 2D facial recognition that can be tricked by showing it a printed out 2D photo of the face. That is like using a pressure sensor and calling it fingerprint scanner.

Just another half-backed implementation from Samsung, made just for the sake of being able to claim they have the tech. However, when you go into details of the implementation, you realize that what they implemented is shit.

Which is really what makes it so strange that you quoted only a portion of what I wrote....since I already covered that. Let's try a little more this time:
" Samsung already has facial recognition. It may not work worth a damn, but the general market doesn't know that. If it's just bullet points, then they line up and there is no differentiation on that feature."

It really doesn't matter whether Samsung's is shit. They will claim the same feature, and claim to have had it first. And no one but fanatics will dispute that, which means it does not serve to differentiate anything except to the diehards that would buy iPhone anyway (and I count myself amongst that group).

The market doesn't "go into the details of the implementation". The market doesn't care. The market looks at Force Touch and thinks it's identical to what BB had 5 years before. The market looks at Touch ID and thinks Samsung's implementation is just as good. The market looks at Siri and doesn't care that Google is data mining the shit out of them and that Apple protects their privacy. The market doesn't care.

Diehards care.

Does Apple differentiate? Yes. They make the overall package more appealing by doing the pieces well. Touch ID was great not just because it was better than other finger print sensors, but because it as better than other authentication options, like passcodes, for convenience and speed and fluidity of use. FaceID may be better than other facial recognition systems, but it falls down when compared to Touch ID for convenience and speed and fluidity of use.

Take using Apple Pay for example. With Touch ID, it is one fluid action. You take your phone from pocket with finger of Home and hold it over the terminal. One fluid movement. Contrast that with Face ID. You remove phone from pocket and hold it over the terminal. Once prompted, you then move it and re-orient it to see you face and let it scan. Now you are done. Alternatively, you remove it from pocket. Re-adjust your grip to double press the power button and let it scan your face. Then when prompted, move it to the terminal and hold until complete.

It is demonstrably inferior and yet they are "going all in" on Face ID and removing TouchID. And that will be the differentiator. Others will offer both. Apple will limit it to one that is better in some cases and clearly worse in others.

gatorguy said:

It will not be surprising if they do. It's getting more difficult to have features that differentiate one smartphone from another and minimally for at least a year or so this will be Apple's. 

But how much does it really differentiate Apple? Samsung already has facial recognition. It may not work worth a damn, but the general market doesn't know that. If it's just bullet points, then they line up and there is no differentiation on that feature. I can see how it doesn't lead to some differentiation, actually. Apple will have only FaceID, which most people won't see as unique. But their competitors will have face and finger print recognition, both features Apple has spent tons and tons conditioning people to accept and want. And Apple will be the top tier brand without both. Their differentiation might be to be seen as skimping on features they've promoted as being critical.